Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 257 Now that we're at the gambling table, we should show an invincible attitude.

Chu Zihang's Word of Power is [Word of Power: Monarch's Flame].

In the materials Lu Mingfei had read, this Word of Power was described as having "gained a profound understanding of the control of fire elements, hence the name 'King's Flame'."

As a high-risk Word of Power with a serial number as high as 89, Junyan will cause an explosion with an intensity comparable to napalm, but the user himself will not be affected by the explosion.

However, when Lu Mingfei saw this, he had some doubts. After all, he was a "former" good-for-nothing who had experienced the information explosion era, and the various miscellaneous books he had passively read in the literary society had enriched his knowledge to a considerable extent.

The most terrifying thing about napalm bombs is not the initial explosive impact, but the extreme high temperature, continuous burning, and its clingy, maggot-like adhesion. Once it gets on your skin, it will stick to it and keep burning until it turns your flesh and bones into charcoal.

While Chu Zihang's Monarch Flame also possesses extreme high-temperature heat release and adhesion properties, its explosive impact is equally formidable, even comparable to the destructive power of high temperatures. That single burst directly blew up an entire attic! This comparison immediately reveals a slight discrepancy.

Lu Mingfei guessed that the experts who compiled that data probably didn't fully understand the specific killing mechanism of this type of weapon, and just randomly picked a powerful conventional weapon to use as an analogy.

After all, hybrids possessing high-risk Word of Power like Junyan are extremely rare, even in the entire hybrid world. Few have witnessed and recorded their detailed combat performance firsthand. Thus, this minor discrepancy has remained uncorrected and has been passed down through generations as a misconception.

In short, the Word of Power: King's Flame is also released centered on the user. If the user cannot be exempt from it, then this Word of Power, like the Word of Power: Rhine, is a completely suicidal Word of Power.

Based on Lu Mingfei's current understanding of fire elements... the user is estimated to be able to assimilate into fire elements to some extent, like a fire spirit in mythology, or something closer to the elemental entities commonly seen in games. That's why they were able to remain unharmed amidst such high temperatures and impacts.

Elemental beings are immune to physical attacks, a fairly common trait in various games, which makes sense. I just wonder what it would be like to experience such an explosion and burning while being an elemental being? Would it feel like taking a hot shower, or would you feel nothing at all?

Lu Mingfei wasn't sure, but theoretically it shouldn't be easy. He knew that the higher the level of the Word of Power, the greater the physical and mental exertion required to release it, which matched the entry in the schedule.

"For me?"

Chu Zihang frowned slightly after hearing Lu Mingfei describe the potential power of this thing, and subconsciously wanted to refuse.

"Don't rush, senior brother. I have a much stronger hand than this. You can't deny that, can you?" Lu Mingfei interrupted him as expected.

“…Yes.” Chu Zihang remained silent for a moment before finally admitting it.

He didn't know Lu Mingfei's trump card completely, but based on what he saw in Nibelungen yesterday, the recycled metal plate he was holding now was indeed not enough.

Its power, apart from lacking the lethal radiation damage of a nuclear bomb, should be no less than, and perhaps even greater than, the explosive yield.

"So this thing is just icing on the cake for me. It's better to provide help when it's really needed... And here, you're probably the only one who can use this without getting hurt."

Lu Mingfei lowered his voice, "Moreover, given what happened before, I think that old turtle who's been hiding is very likely to make a move secretly. If he's even slightly sane, he'd choose to split up this time, wouldn't he?"

"What did you discover?" Chu Zihang's expression shifted slightly. What he cared about most was everything related to Odin.

“It’s not certain yet, but this is definitely the best opportunity…” Lu Mingfei whispered his speculation.

“…You’re right.” Chu Zihang thought for a moment and then agreed with Lu Mingfei’s conjecture.

His understanding of the Anomaly Investigation Bureau and even the External Cooperation Division was naturally much greater than Lu Mingfei's. Currently, due to the Nibelungen region near Xiang Yu's tomb, most of the surrounding manpower had been dispatched there to carry out various tasks.

This is unavoidable, after all, it is the legendary "land of the dead," Nibelungen! If it were just Nibelungen, it wouldn't be so bad, but the problem is that there are ancestors who have lived for more than two thousand years and living dragons inside... Its importance is naturally worth mentioning again and again.

In other words, Zhang Shanfeng, who is nominally in charge of overall coordination, is one of the most capable people, and his position is that of a direct reporting relationship with the director of the Bureau of Abnormal Investigation. That's why no big shot was parachuted in to direct the work... because the only person with a higher rank than him is the director, and there is no difference between Zhang Shanfeng being here and the director being here.

As for why he is "nominally in charge of overall coordination"?
That was because Ye Sheng made the decision to formally switch to an administrative position under the influence of various factors (especially after going to Nibelungen with Lu Mingfei). Then, Teacher Zhang Shanfeng put him in charge of overall coordination work to train him, saying, "Young people shouldn't be afraid of hardship and fatigue. Let me give you more responsibilities to train you!"

It can only be said that Ye Sheng's work ability in this area is truly outstanding, even far surpassing his combat abilities. Otherwise, even if Teacher Zhang Shanfeng wanted to slack off, he would never have entrusted him with such an important task.

This is no simple task. It involves the work arrangements of various levels and types of organizations in multiple cities, and even across most of a province. Anyone who has been responsible for organizing class activities during their school years can probably understand this. On this basis, the difficulty will only increase exponentially with each doubling of the number of participants.

Lu Mingfei only needs to fight on the front lines, while Ye Sheng, who is in charge of clerical work in the rear, has many more things to consider.

"Do we need to prepare anything?" Chu Zihang asked.

His intention was to inform Teacher Zhang and the others.

"No need. If you prepare too much, it will be difficult for your opponents to even get a chance to play."

Lu Mingfei gave the same answer. He slightly raised his head and looked at the sky, which seemed to have sunk even lower, with dark clouds covering the sky and a storm brewing.

"Senior brother, do you know that I have never actually sat at a gambling table? Because there can only be one winner at a gambling table. If you don't gamble, you can at least survive. But if you do gamble, you either win everything or you lose everything."

He licked his lips. The air was humid, but he felt a little dry. A strange excitement surged in his heart, and his blood rushed.

"So, now that we're at the gambling table, we have to show an invincible attitude!"

At that moment, thunder roared, and lightning flashed and darted through the clouds in the sky, like a giant dragon awakening, for a torrential rain was imminent.

"It's time to enter."

Lu Mingfei let out a soft sigh, feeling a surge of exhilarating pride, and prepared to step forward.

"Not urgent."

Chu Zihang tugged at him.

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback.

"You still have to deal with things over there," Chu Zihang said, pointing in the distance.

They had moved a little distance apart to make it easier to talk, and Lu Mingfei looked in the direction Chu Zihang was pointing...

Zero, Su Xiaoqiang and Liu Miaomiao, who was getting off the bus, stood together. If it were just like that, there would be nothing wrong with it. The problem is that Liu Miaomiao was sent by her family.

As one of the performers at tonight's piano concert, Liu Miaomiao's parents also came. Both of Liu's parents were present... and they even bumped into each other!
The rumbling thunder in the sky seemed to strike Lu Mingfei's heart, instantly electrifying him and making him feel numb.

"Senior brother, can't you just pretend you don't see it?" Lu Mingfei stared at Chu Zihang resentfully.

What level is this guy's gossip radar at? How can he even notice this? Shouldn't he be shocked by his own enthusiastic and bold statement just now?!
"go quickly."

Chu Zihang looked to the side expressionlessly, as if he was observing something interesting.

"Okay, okay..." Lu Mingfei walked away dejectedly like a deflated rooster. Halfway there, he patted his face and cheered himself up. It was just meeting the parents and bringing two girls along. It was no big deal. He wouldn't die!

Chu Zihang didn't turn his gaze back to watch the drama unfold. A peculiar presence caught his eye. Compared to the others dressed in suits or tuxedos, this person was clearly more conservatively dressed, appearing somewhat... furtive.

His eyes moved slightly.

The half-face beneath the hood looked vaguely familiar; it was someone whose name he recognized, but whom he didn't know very well. This person seemed to be...

Zhao Menghua?
Chu Zihang was naturally aware of the feud between Lu Mingfei and Zhao Menghua. He had even investigated the other party's family. Given their financial resources, it would have been impossible for them to afford the reward for that bet, but it was said that they had enough money after winning the lottery.

Is there really such a coincidence in the world?

In the past, Chu Zihang would not have paid attention to such things, after all, he was just an ordinary person. But now, he was much more vigilant than usual.

With a slight thought, he stuffed the recycled metal plate in his hand into the inside pocket of his suit, took a step, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Water droplets fell in the empty space behind him, the bursting water reflecting the shattered city. Lightning flashed in the sky, as if a huge figure had swept by, but when you looked up, there was nothing there.

……

The concert is about to begin, and entry is underway.

Lu Mingfei rarely attends such occasions, but nowadays he has seen many grand events and is not surprised by the luxurious decorations.

Even if it's expensive, can it compare to the alchemical matrix in that huge underground cavern in Nibelungen? Even just considering the value of the materials, it's priceless!
Once you've seen something better, it's hard to feel anything for inferior products anymore. Habit is always a terrible force, and the threshold in all aspects will keep rising.

Not to mention that those things were either blown up by him or beaten up by him... The so-called awe is just a name for an emotion called "incomparable", and Lu Mingfei can already look down on them.

"Brother, I thought you were already pretty awesome, but I never imagined you could be even more awesome than I thought."

Old Tang sighed with admiration, "Those three aren't all your younger siblings, are they? How did you manage that?"

"Study hard and make progress every day..." Lu Mingfei replied dryly.

Forget about the gambling table for now; it's not even certain whether our opponents will join us. Right now, we should focus on doing what needs to be done.

"Hey, men's words are deceitful, I know, I know. You go get ready to go on stage! I'm going to the stands too."

Old Tang shook his head, parted ways with Lu Mingfei, found his seat, and sat down.

He wasn't the type to sit still, so he looked around and quickly noticed the strange device the man next to him was fiddling with.

"Hey buddy! What are you doing?" he greeted curiously.

"Live streaming equipment."

The man answered, his voice noticeably hoarse.

"Oh, who's the live stream for?"

"My sister."

"You're such a good older brother!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

The man paused for a moment, then said, "It's just making amends."

"Hey, it's good that you're thinking of me. By the way, my name is Lao Tang, what's yours, buddy?"

"Yuan Zhisheng."

"Hmm...Isn't your sister pretty?"

"Hmm?" Yuan Zhisheng glanced at him coldly.

"You must be very careful."

Old Tang thought of Lu Mingfei and shook his head repeatedly, earnestly advising, "Never be fooled by a scumbag!"

"Will not."

Yuan Zhisheng lowered his hostility slightly, "My sister usually doesn't go out."

"Staying at home all the time isn't good either; you should go out and exercise occasionally," Old Tang said.

Genjiro now understood that the guy next to him was just naturally outgoing and could talk about anything and everything. If they really started talking, they probably wouldn't stop.

So he decided to stop paying attention to Lao Tang.

But what Old Tang said next made him almost lose his composure—

"Hey buddy, you're wearing lipstick? It's way too much! It's obviously much bigger than usual!" Old Tang scrutinized Genji's face.

"Dude, you're already very handsome. Although you can't compare to my little brother, you're still one in a million. You really don't need to wear makeup. The makeup you've put on is so bad, it's actually ruining your good looks..."

"I'm not wearing makeup!" Yuan Zhisheng's forehead veins bulged slightly.

He definitely wasn't wearing makeup; the so-called "lipstick" was simply a natural reaction to the spiciness of his lunch! While mixed-race individuals generally have superior physical abilities, they don't seem to have a significant advantage in metabolizing capsaicin. It's also possible that he took a much higher dose than usual, potentially triggering an allergic reaction…

"Hmm? Oh, so it's congenital? That's a real shame. I met a very good doctor when I traveled to Thailand before. Do you want me to introduce you to him?" Old Tang said.

What was with that "what a pity" tone you used?! It's terrifying for a man!
"No, thank you." Yuan Zhisheng suppressed his anger.

"Huh? Hey, buddy, no need to be so polite! I'll send you the phone number in a bit... wait, wait, I think I remembered wrong, haha, it's not from Thailand! It should be from South Korea, the Thai one isn't known for plastic surgery..." Old Tang said, winking.

"Maybe I should just quietly knock this guy out," Genji thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)